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Tuesday, March 29, 2005A team of Australian surgeons yesterday reattached both hands and one foot to 10-year-old Perth boy, Terry Vo, after a brick wall which collapsed during a game of basketball fell on him, severing the limbs. The wall gave way while Terry performed a slam-dunk, during a game at a friend’s birthday party.

The boy was today awake and smiling, still in some pain but in good spirits and expected to make a full recovery, according to plastic surgeon, Mr Robert Love.

“What we have is parts that are very much alive so the reattached limbs are certainly pink, well perfused and are indeed moving,” Mr Love told reporters today.

“The fact that he is moving his fingers, and of course when he wakes up he will move both fingers and toes, is not a surprise,” Mr Love had said yesterday.

“The question is more the sensory return that he will get in the hand itself and the fine movements he will have in the fingers and the toes, and that will come with time, hopefully. We will assess that over the next 18 months to two years.

“I’m sure that he’ll enjoy a game of basketball in the future.”

The weight and force of the collapse, and the sharp brick edges, resulted in the three limbs being cut through about 7cm above the wrists and ankle.

Terry’s father Tan said of his only child, the injuries were terrible, “I was scared to look at him, a horrible thing.”

The hands and foot were placed in an ice-filled Esky and rushed to hospital with the boy, where three teams of medical experts were assembled, and he was given a blood transfusion after experiencing massive blood loss. Eight hours of complex micro-surgery on Saturday night were followed by a further two hours of skin grafts yesterday.

“What he will lose because it was such a large zone of traumatised skin and muscle and so on, he will lose some of the skin so he’ll certainly require lots of further surgery regardless of whether the skin survives,” said Mr Love said today.

The boy was kept unconscious under anaesthetic between the two procedures. In an interview yesterday, Mr Love explained why:

“He could have actually been woken up the next day. Because we were intending to take him back to theatre for a second look, to look at the traumatised skin flaps, to close more of his wounds and to do split skin grafting, it was felt the best thing to do would be to keep him stable and to keep him anaesthetised.”

Professor Wayne Morrison, director of the respected Bernard O’Brien Institute of Microsurgery and head of plastic and hand surgery at Melbourne’s St Vincent’s Hospital, said he believed the operation to be a world first.

Saturday, September 8, 2007

Leaders attending the APEC summit in Sydney, Australia have worn Driza-Bone coats for their traditional group photo in front of the Sydney Opera House. In APEC tradition, leaders wear attire which draws inspiration from the host nation’s national costume.

Australia’s choice was made by Prime Minister John Howard and his wife Janette. Australia does not have a national costume. In an APEC statement it was revealed that Driza-Bone had been consulted to produce an outfit that “captures the essence of Australia’s culture and environment.”

“Driza-Bone coats were born over 100 years ago when a sailor fashioned waterproof coats out of windjammer sails for protection against the harsh Australian trade winds,” the statement said.

“These coats were also perfect for people working on the vast Australian continent and have since been adapted into the perfect riding and outback attire.”

The custom-made knee-length coats worn by the leaders were the traditional dark brown of all Driza-Bones and had differing colours for the lapels and linings – slate blue for Australia’s vast coastline, mustard yellow for the sun and sand; red ochre for the outback and eucalyptus green for the bush. Leaders were given the choice over which highlight colour they wanted.

The choice of costume was a closely guarded secret by Australia officials, with speculation rife throughout the media. It has been suggested that the costume could include “budgie smugglers” (male swimwear)- and thongs (flip flops) to represent the beach;blue singlets and shorts favoured by labourers or khaki gear in memory of Steve Irwin.

The group photo is said to be one of the most anticipated parts of the APEC summit, with people wanting to see which leader looks the “silliest”. In the past leaders have been dressed in silk tunics, leather bomber jackets and Batik-print shirts.

Wednesday, October 24, 2007

Australia is calling for criminal charges to be made in light of the final report into the Garuda Indonesia Flight 200 disaster, which was published yesterday. Five Australians were among the 21 killed when the Boeing 737 jetliner overshot the runway at Adisucipto International Airport, near Yogyakarta, Indonesia on March 7 this year.

Australian Minister for Foreign affairs, Alexander Downer, said that the “very credible report” made it clear the two-man cockpit crew were responsible for the accident. The report found that alarms sounded no less than 15 times to warn the pilot in command that he was flying at an excessive speed for proper operation of the flaps, and that the co-pilot had also been ignored when he asked for a go-around to be made. The co-pilot was criticised for not taking control of the aircraft. The pilot was found to have ignored 15 emergency activations of the Ground Proximity Warning System telling him to slow down. Other criticisms were leveled at the inadequate training provided by the airline, the inadequate inspections by authorities, the lack of a mandatory runoff area at the runway and improper fire suppressants and slow response from the Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting facilities at the airport.

“I’ve asked our ambassador today to make it absolutely clear to the Indonesians that we want people prosecuted for this accident,” said Downer. “I want to see people who have negligently allowed Australians … to be killed, I want to see those people brought to justice,” he added. He has also expressed a pledge to discuss plans for a class action suit with survivors and relatives of victims, but he commented that “you’re dealing with the Indonesian system here, it’s a different system from our own, so it’s not necessarily going to be very easy.” Bill Madden from the law firm Slater and Gordon, who have a speciality in class actions, disagreed: “It would seem as though the families and people injured would have a fairly strong case,” he said. “You’d be holding an airline responsible for the negligence of a pilot and that’s a fairly standard approach that the law can follow.”

Meanwhile, the Sydney Morning Herarld spoke with Ari Sapari, head of operations at Garuda Indonesia. He told reporters that the pilots, who remain grounded after the crash, may be sacked next week, when any disciplinary action is expected to be announced. However, if they are charged over the crash, he has promised the airline will assist in their defence, saying “They are still our employees, up to now. They have the right to be assisted.” Police say they are examining closely the possibility of charging both with manslaughter, which could see them sent to prison for up to five years if convicted. When queried about the fact that the report found the crew had not received adequate simulator training from the airline, he defended the company, saying “Nobody is perfect in this entire world.” Since the suspension of the pilots, all other Garuda pilots have undergone the appropriate training missed out by Garuda.

Australian Prime Minister John Howard said in a statement made after the report came out “I am quite astonished. I can understand how people who are still grieving, both in Indonesia and Australia, might feel.”

The Opposition Leader, Kevin Rudd, has said he has telephoned secretary-general of Indonesia’s foreign affairs department and former ambassador to Australia Imron Cotan, telling him that he wanted those responsible “prosecuted to the absolute full”. “This is a serious matter, many Australians visit Indonesia, Garuda is an often used airline and there is a basic national interest at stake here as well,” he said.

It is, however, stipulated in the Convention on International Civil Aviation that accident reports and related material, specifically transcripts of interviews, communications with crew and cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder (collectively known as black boxes) readouts, must not be used for any purpose other than determining the cause of an accident or incident. The only possible exception to this is where potential benefit would outweigh the “adverse domestic and international impact” on the investigation in question or any other either in progress or in the future. This legislation is in place to provide protection to witnesses on the basis that without it they may be less likely to cooperate with investigational procedures.

Downer’s response to this law was to comment that “I think our first priority is to make sure those who are responsible – who survived the accident – are brought to justice.” Aridono Sukman, the police member in charge of the criminal investigation, has said that the contents of the black box are vital evidence. Officials have commented that some relatives have expressed their frustration over the legal challenges involved in the prosecution effort.

Tatang Kurniadi, chairman of the Indonesian National Transportation Safety Committee, has already confirmed that investigators cannot speak to the police, with the only permitted testimony under the legislation being to testify at a court hearing. He also pointed out that the document does not actually appoint any blame. “The investigation determined the flight crews’ compliance with procedures was not at the level to ensure the safe operation of the aircraft. That’s enough,” he said. However, Sisno Adiwinoto, a police spokesperson, told reporters the police would attempt to summon the investigators to court as expert witnesses on aviation, rather than as the actual investigators involved with the disaster.

Another fact that has become apparent is that the runway at Adisucipto International will not be lengthened to meet international standards despite assurances that work would begin shortly. The airport claims it cannot build the mandatory 90-metre runway end safety area because, says a small-print comment by the state-owned airport operator, the airport does not have the land.” It has, however, promised to bring other airports under its jurisdiction up to standard, with work initialising next year. The company has also stated that a study of engineering methods providing alternative solutions could be completed by June.

Wednesday, October 3, 2007

Kristen Monster is running for the Family Coalition Party in the Ontario provincial election, in the Willowdale riding. Wikinews’ Nick Moreau interviewed her regarding her values, her experience, and her campaign.

Stay tuned for further interviews; every candidate from every party is eligible, and will be contacted. Expect interviews from Liberals, Progressive Conservatives, New Democratic Party members, Ontario Greens, as well as members from the Family Coalition, Freedom, Communist, Libertarian, and Confederation of Regions parties, as well as independents.

Friday, October 10, 2008

In an attempt to speak with as many candidates as possible during the 2008 Canadian federal election, Wikinews has talked via email with Vicki Gunn. Gunn is a candidate in Ontario’s York—Simcoe riding, running under the Christian Heritage Party of Canada (CHP) banner. The CHP is a minor, registered political party running a significant number of candidates across the country, looking to earn its first ever seat in the House of Commons.

The riding has existed from 1968 to 1979, from 1988 to 1997, and from 2004 to present. As of the next provincial election in Ontario, it will be recognised as a provincial electoral district as well. Over the years, the riding has been represented by the Liberal Party, Progressive Conservative Party, again by the Progressive Conservatives, again by the Liberals, and since its recreation, the seat has been held by the Conservative Party of Canada.

Peter Van Loan, the Conservative incumbent, is the Minister Responsible for Democratic Reform and Leader of the Government in the House of Commons. The other candidates in the riding, besides Van Loan and the CHP’s Gunn, are New Democrat Sylvia Gerl, Liberal Judith Moses, and the Green Party‘s John Dewar.

The following is an interview with Gunn, conducted via email. The interview is published unedited, as sent to Wikinews.

Sunday, May 31, 2009

On Saturday morning three Jundallah men responsible for the bombing of a mosque in Zahedan, Iran, on Thursday, May 28, were hanged near the same mosque. The Iranian government said the United States, al Qaeda and Israel were involved in the bombing; the U.S. State Department rejected the allegation of American involvement.

The bomb had exploded in the city’s second largest Shiite mosque, Amir Al-Momenin, during evening prayers killing 25 and injuring at least 145 others.

“The bomb exploded at the time of evening prayer and killed a number of worshippers,” said Ali Mohammad Azad, the governor general of the province of Sistan and Baluchestan. This Iranian province borders both Pakistan and Afghanistan.

The three men were already in custody prior to the explosion, in connection with previous bombing attacks in 2007. The provincial judiciary reported that the three confessed to “illegally bringing explosives into Iran and giving them to the main person behind the bombing.”

“The bombing happened with the explosives these three convicted criminals brought to the country. They were convicted as ‘mohareb’ (fighter against God), ‘corrupt on the earth’ and acting against national security,” said Ebrahim Hamidi, a local judiciary official.

Sunni rebels of the Jundullah (Soldiers of God) group said they sent a suicide bomber to attack a secret meeting of Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guards being held in the mosque. Mosques are held to be “gathering places for revolutionary Shiites”.

“I announce that … those who committed the bombing are neither Shi’ite nor Sunni. They are Americans and Israelis,” said Sadegh Mahsouli, interior minister in President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s cabinet. Jalal Sayyah, a senior security official in Zahedan, said, “Hire of the terrorists by the U.S. was verified based on investigation.” Iran says that the Jundallah are part of the al Qaeda and are also backed by the United States who equipped the terrorists. These claims have been denied by Washington.

The Islamic Republic of Iran Presidential elections will be held June 12. On Friday, the presidential campaign offices were also attacked by gunmen.

Thursday was a public Iranian holiday which honoured the death of Fatima Zahra, “the Mother of the Imams”, the daughter of the Islamic prophet Muhammad.

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Toyota has been accused by a U.S. House of Representatives committee with misleading the public and investigators over its recent recalls.

The accusations, in a statement from the House Energy and Commerce Committee, claim that Toyota both relied on a flawed study in its assessment of the issue of sticking accelerator pedals at the heart of the recalls, and then made misleading statements about its response. According to the authors of the letter, Henry Waxman and Bart Stupak, Toyota dismissed, rather than investigated, the idea that the cars’ computers were at fault. In a statement, James Lentz, the president of Toyota’s American division, claimed that hardware issues were to blame, and that dealers were repairing the faulty part. Toyota also released a study commissioned from the research firm Exponent that said electronic systems were not to blame.

According to the House committee, however, the study involved only six vehicles, none of which had problems with their electrical systems, and was insufficient to produce an accurate result. “Our preliminary assessment is that Toyota resisted the possibility that electronic defects could cause safety concerns, relied on a flawed engineering report and made misleading public statements concerning the adequacy of recent recalls to address the risk of sudden unintended acceleration.”

The company is under a criminal investigation, and has received two subpoenas for documents from two House committees relating to the recalls, although whether they are directly related to the letter is unclear. The documents are related to accelerator issues in several models, as well as brake problems with the Prius hybrid car, and were served earlier in in February by a federal grand jury and the Securities and Exchange Commission. Toyota has released upwards of 75,000 pages of documents under the requests.

In a separate, though related, development, it has emerged that Toyota last year negotiated a limited recall for two models, the Toyota Camry and Lexus ES, that were affected by the accelerator recalls, saving the company an estimated $100 million. A confidential internal presentation in July 2009 made the claim, and a month later, a Lexus ES, one of the models under the limited recall crashed in California, killing four people. The claims apparently referenced a September, 2007 recall of floor mats that could trap gas pedals, the same problem that triggered a full recall of numerous Toyota cars to fix the same problem. In the same presentation, the company claimed to have avoided recalls of another model related to rust, as well as delaying new federal safety regulations.